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NVIDIA GPU Hotspot Temperature Has Been Unlocked Through Mods, & Shows Widespread Thermal Issues Affecting RTX 50 GPUs That Throttle Gaming Performance
Wccftech • • technology
Key Points:
- NVIDIA removed the GPU Hotspot temperature sensor readings from its RTX 50 "Blackwell" series, focusing instead on average GPU temperatures, which can mask critical thermal throttling issues.
- Brazilian modder Paulo Gomes successfully unlocked the hidden Hotspot sensor on RTX 50 GPUs, revealing that some cards were hitting thermal throttling limits around 107°C despite average temperatures appearing normal.
- The high Hotspot temperatures were traced to poor cooler contact or degraded thermal paste, and replacing the thermal interface material significantly reduced hotspot temps and improved performance.
- This discovery highlights that the Hotspot sensor still exists on RTX 50 GPUs but is disabled in software, limiting users' ability to diagnose thermal problems that can cause performance loss or hardware damage.
- Experts suggest NVIDIA should re-enable Hotspot monitoring in future driver or software updates, as similar diagnostic tools are available on NVIDIA’s data center GPUs to monitor critical thermal and hardware health parameters.
